1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to face protectors and more specifically it relates to a BA- 1 protection mask.
Danger in the street goes beyond semiautomatic weapons, knives and assaults from personal weapons, such as arms, fists and feet performed by perpetrators. Today police officers are routinely carrying surgical gloves and masks to deal with the risks of contact with Aids, ARC and HIV related diseases. The dangers are real, since contact with body fluids such as blood and saliva can transmit these diseases. A biting incident that breaks the skin and draws blood is especially risky. However, even minor cuts on the hands or arms of an officer may present an opportunity to contract HIV through contact with a person's blood or saliva. And since police officers may have to routinely handle aggressive situations, the chances for coming into contact with such body fluids are substantial.
Further, AIDs, ARC and HIV infection in the population are expected to increase in the future. It is estimated that the current number of people with HIV is at 1.9 to 3 million. The projected numbers will increase to as high as 15 million by the year 2002, if no significant breakthroughs in medical treatment or social behavior occur. In this gloomy forecast, 2.9 percent of whites, 9.2 percent of Hispanics and 41.8 percent of blacks between the ages of 15 and 50 could carry the disease.
For a police officer, getting a person restrained on the street is just part of the problem. The arrested person must be transported to the police station for processing and detention. While incarcerated, the person interacts with a variety of persons, such as corrections officers, public defenders, investigating officers, health and social services personnel, even judges and juries. Anyone who was arrested exhibiting aggressive behavior could conceivably become aggressive again at any point in the future. Such an incarcerated person could conceivably pose an HIV risk to anyone he interacted with, even other prisoners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous face protectors have been provided in prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,616,081 to Weaver et al.; 3,886,596 to Franklin et al.; 3,943,574 to Yamaguichi et al. and 4,754,501 to Yahn and Canadian patent number 619,535 to Tielemans all are illustrative of such prior art. While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.